Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan inaugurated the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Road in the Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Monday. According to a Gulf News report, the road has been built in the remote mountainous region. The 42-kilometers-long road was constructed at the cost of Dh106million by the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE-PAP and financed by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.
The opening of the road was organised on the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and the follow up of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa amongst others were present at the joyous occasion alongside the UAE Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Al-Zaabi. Speaking at the ceremony, Imran said, “I want to express my sincere thanks to the UAE, especially Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, for building this important road in the remote area of the country.” He continued, “The project in Mohmand is a gift to the people of the region built in collaboration with the UAE Government,” adding that the construction of road infrastructure in the tribal areas will promote both tourism and trade. The road connects nine cities and six villages and will be used by more than 627,000 people living in the mountainous region.
Abdullah Khalifa Al Ghafli, Director of the UAE-PAP, stressed on the importance of building the road, mentioning it is one of the largest and most important modern development projects that have been implemented in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
Its width spans 9.3 metres, and includes a tunnel and nine intersecting bridges and a drainage system to protect against thunderstorms and destructive waters. The road will contribute to improving transportation routes through a safe highway that links cities and villages that were previously unconnected due to their rugged landscape. It will also help to fasten the transportation of goods, agricultural, minerals, animal products and building materials from the region to the main distribution centres in Pakistan, making it a big plus for the local economy.
